Scratch Gravy

Use homemade stock as your base.

• Starches:  Cornstarch and AP flour (low protein is better – like cake flour)
• Root Starches:  Clear – not good for gravy:  Potato, arrowroot, tapioca

INGREDIENTS

• 2 TBL Butter or fat droppings
• 2 TBL Flour
• 1 C  Homemade or Canned Stock
• 1 bay leaf
• Once this has cooked, you will need
• 1 TBL Corn Starch
• 2 TBL WATER
• 1/2 C Homemade or Canned Stock

METHOD ONE:  STEP BY STEP

1. Take 2 TBL butter
2. Mix and cook on medium heat until it starts to brown.
3. Add 2 TBL AP flour and whisk continually until smooth, and it starts to brown
4. Whisk  in 1/4 C room temperature stock and whisk until smooth
   Use a whisk with many tines for better mixing
5. Stir until starts to “kind of” brown
6. Add another 1/2 C stock and 1/2 C water
7. Return to a near boil
8. Mix 1 TBL corn starch with 1/4 C cold stock
9. Drizzle in while whisking continually
10. Continue to stir with whisk until thickened.
11. Reduce heat to low and whisk occasionally for about 20 minutes
12. If you have lumps, run it through a sieve.

METHOD TWO:  milk gravy aka sawmill gravy

1. For 2 C Sawmill Gravy
2. Fry up bacon, chicken fried steak or sausage in a cast iron skillet
3. Dump all except 2 TBL fat into the pan, keeping all the bits
4. Add 4 TBL AP flour
5.  Whisk for 2-3 minutes
6. Take off the heat and slowly add 2 C milk while whisking continually
7. Put back over high heat and bring up to a simmer
8. Switch to a wooden spoon to finish up
9. As soon as it starts to simmer, it is done.  It will not thicken any more over the heat.  It will thicken as it cools
10. Serve over top of biscuits topped with sausage